Featuring David Kraft, guest organist

Where:  Newark First United Methodist Church, 301 South Main St.

When:   Sunday, May 11th at 3:00 pm.

A Freewill Donation will be graciously accepted to fund the next stage of our organ rebuild.

For more information, call (315) 331-3895.  Email newarkfumc@gmail.com

About the Guest Organist: 

David Kraft is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance at the Eastman School of Music studying under David Higgs. He began piano at five and organ at 13, studying with John Morabito. A native of the Rochester, NY area, he has served at many local churches, including Holy Trinity (Webster) and St. Thomas the Apostle (Irondequoit), and is Assistant Organist at Sacred Heart Cathedral, where he helped establish the Cathedral Youth Schola.

David won First Prize in the 2021 Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition and was a finalist in the Lynnwood Farnam Competition, performing in Montreal. He has played in masterclasses with Chelsea Chen, Jean-Baptiste Robin, and Janette Fishell and was featured on Pipedreams Live! in 2024.

An organ technician with Parsons Pipe Organ Builders, he maintains instruments at Eastman and across Western New York and assisted in the 2024 installation of Parsons Opus 52 in Indiana. He regularly services reed organs and is currently restoring a Trayser harmonium. He is also building a table organ inspired by the 18th-century instruments of Jean-Baptiste Micot.

David is Organist at the United Church of Canandaigua (Presbyterian-Baptist), where he works with a vibrant and thriving music program. He was recently named to The Diapason’s 20 Under 30 Class of 2025 and was accepted into the Organ Historical Society’s Biggs Scholars program.